Potato-digger



2 Sheets--Sheet 1. Jt LEE.

POTATO BIGGER.

(No Model.)

No. 381,706.r Pa,.entedApr. 24, 1888.

N. PETERS. Pmvwmhugmphm, whingten, D C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. LEB.

POTATO BIGGER.

(N0 Model.)

Patented Apr. 24, 1888.

'Unirse Srarrns Ferarri" @ittica JAMES LEE, OF LISTON, lOVA.

POTATO- BIGGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 381,706, dated April 24, 1888.

Application filed August 3l, 1887. Serial No. 248,392. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom may concern.-

Be it known that l, JAMES LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Listen, in the county of Woodbury and State of Iowa, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Potato-Diggers, of which the following` is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in potato-diggers; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices, that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed ontin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a potatodigger embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is atop plan view. Fig. i is a vertical trans verse sectional view taken on the line x .r of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail View.

A represents a pair of plowbeams, which are arranged parallel and ata suitable distance apart and have their front ends connected by a yoke, B, tothe center of which is pivoted a clevis, C, for the attachment of the draftanimals.

D represents the plow, the construction of which is as follows:

E represents an inclined mold-board having its front end beveled to the point on opposite sides and provided with sharpened cnt-tingedges F.

G represents a pair of landsideplates,which have their front upper corners bent inward at right angles to forni blades or ears H, which bear under the inclined mold-board, near the frontend thereof, and are riveted or bolted thereto.

I represents a pair of standards, which have their lower ends bolted to the inner sides of the landside-plates at a suitable distance from the front ends of the latter, and have their upper ends secured in vertical openings made in the plow-bea1ns at a suitable distance from their rear ends.

K represents a si mil-ar pair of standards, which have theirlower ends bolted to the inner side of the landside-plates near their rear ends and their upper ends secured in vertical openings near the rear ends of the plow-beams.

L represents brace, which has its central portion bolted to the under side of the incidv board at a snit-able distance from thefront end thereof1 and its lower ends bolted to the inner sides of the standards l and at their'lower ends by the said bolts that serve to connect the standards to the landside-plates.

M represenisa si inilarl y-shaped brace, which is bolted to the under side of the Inold-board at a suitable distance in rear of the brace L and has its lower downturned ends bolted to the inner sides of the landside-piates.

N represents a pair of brackets, which are bolted to the inner sides ofthe lands'ide-plates ata suitable distance from the end thereof and extend upward therefrom. In the said bracket is journaled a transverse driving-shaft, O, provided with a central driving-wheel, P, which has radial projecting spurs' R. To the said shaft O, near one end thereof, is rigidly secured a sprocket-wheel, T.

U represents a horizontal shaft, which has its outer end journaled ina metallic bar and has its inner end journaled in a bearing which depends from the rear end of the inoldboard. On this shaft U is rigidly secured a sprocketwheel, V, that is connected to the wheel T by ineans of an endless sprocket-chain, W. To the outer end ofthe said shaft U is rigidly secured a spni-\rlieel,

Yrepresents a transverse shaft, which is jonrnaled in openings made in the rear standards, K, at a point slightly below the rear end of the'inold-board. One end of this shaft is provided with the pinion Z, that engages the wheel X, and from that portion of the shaft which is between the standards K project a series of oppositely-extending radial arms or fingers, A. f

B represents a plate, which is bolted to the under side of the mold-board at the rear end thereof and is provided with a series of rearA wardly-extending` fingers, C, between which the lingers A of the shaft Y are adapted to pass as the said shaft rotates when the machine is in operation.

D represents a transverse rod, Which is secured to the plow-beams and is arranged in rear of the rotating shaft Y. To the said rod are pivoted the front ends of a. number of screen-bars, E', the rear ends of which screen bars rest upon the grou nd and are thereby vertically movable independently of each other, so as to pass over obstructions.

It will be observed by reference to Figs. 3

ICQ

and 4 that the width of the mold-board is equal to the width of the space between the plow-beams.

F represents a pair ofcolter-standards, which are secured to the inner sides of the plowbeams, at a suitable distance from the front ends thereof, by means of clip-bolts G. 'Ihe lower ends of the said colter-standards are bifurcated, and between the pairs of arms thus formed are secured revolving circular colters H', which are journaled on bolts I', that pass through central openings in the lower ends of the colter-arms.'

Ihe operation of myinvcntion is as follows: The machine is drawn along the potat0-rows by being attached preferably to a sulky and trailed in rear thereof,or the sully may be dispensed with and the horse attached directly to the clevis of the potato-digger, in which event the beams A will be provided with handles similar to ordinary plow-handles. The front end of the inclined mold-board is caused to enter the ground and run therein at a depth below the potatoes, and the revolving` colters serve to cut the sides of the furrow thus made by the plow. As the` machine advances, the earth andthe potatoes are caused to travel rearwardly over the mold-board, as will be readily seen. rIhe spurs of the driving-wheel engage the earth at the bottom of the furrow, thereby causing the said driving-wheel to rotate and impart rotary mot-ion to the shaft Yby means of the gearing hereinbefore described. As the earth and potatoes are discharged from the rear j end of the mold-board, they are acted upon by the radial fingers of the rotating shaft Y, and thereby the earth and vines are dislodged from the potatoes. The revolving fingers A serve to throw the potatoes on the inclined screenbarswhich trail in the rear 0f the machine,and as the potatoes slide down the said screen-bars the earth and vines become dislodged therefrom and the potatoes are deposited on the top of the earth in rows and may be easily picked up.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. The combination, in a potato-digger, of the plow having the inclined mold-board, the rotating shaft Y, arranged at the rear end of the n1old-board and having the ngers A', for the purpose set forth,and the downwardly-inclined independent screen-bars trailed in rear of the machine, having their upper ends pivoted, and on which the potatoes are thrown by the ngers A.

2. The combination, in a potato-digger, of the plow orscoop, the rotating shaft Y, arranged at the rear end thereof and having the fingers A, the transverse bar arranged in rear of the said shaft, and the independent screen-bars having the front upper ends pivoted to thesaid transverse bar, the lower ends of said bars being adapted to drag on the ground, substantially as described. A

3. The combination, in a potatodigger, of the plow-beams, the standards I K, depending therefrom, the landsideplates G, attached to the lower ends of said standards, the braces L M, arranged transversely between, connecting, and extending upward above the said landsideplates, and the inclined mold-board attached to the front ends of the landside-plates and having its rear portion supported upon and secured to the braces L M, substantially as described.

4. 'Ihe combination, in a potato-digger, of the plow, the drivingshaft O, arranged under the mold-board thereof and having the wheel l?, provided with the peripheral spurs R, the shaft U, arranged under the mold-board, having the gear-wheel X at one end,and provided with the sprocketwhecl connected to a similar sprocket-wheel on the shaft O by a sprocketchain, the shaft Y, arranged at the rear end of the mold-board and having the arms or ngers A', and the pinion attached to the shaftYand meshing with the wheel X, the transverse bary in rear of shaft Y, and the independent screen bars or fingers having their upper ends pivoted to the said bar and their lower ends trailing on the ground, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afxed my signatureiu presence of two witnesses.

JAMES LEE.

Wi tn esses J. H. OsTRoM, G. P. BowMAN. 

